stle is submerged on account of the wickedness of
its inhabitants, the waters being produced by the curse of God or a
saint (replacing a pagan god) and forming a lake.[781] These may be
regarded as forms of a Celtic deluge-myth, which in one case, that of
the Welsh story of the ship of Nevyd, which saved Dwyvan and Dwyfach and
a pair of all kinds of animals when Lake Llion overflowed, has
apparently borrowed from the Biblical story.[782] In other cases lakes
are formed from the tears of a god, e.g. Manannan, whose tears at the
death of his son formed three lochs in Erin.[783] Apollonius reports
that the waters of Eridanus originated from the tears of Apollo when
driven from heaven by his father.[784] This story, which he says is
Celtic, has been clothed by him in a Greek form, and the god in question
may have been Belenos, equated with Apollo. Sometimes the formation of
streams was ascribed to great hail-storms--an evident mythic rendering
of the damage done by actual spates, while the Irish myths of
"illimitable sea-bursts," of which three particular instances are often
mentioned, were doubtless the result of the experience of tidal waves.

Although no complete account of the end of all things, like that of the
Scandinavian Ragnarok, has survived, scattered hints tell of its former
existence. Strabo says that the Druids taught that "fire and water must
one day prevail"--an evident belief in some final cataclysm.[785] This
is also hinted at in the words of certain Gauls to Alexander, telling
him that what they feared most of all was the fall of the heavens upon
their heads.[786] In other words, they feared what would be the signal
of the end of all things. On Irish ground the words of Conchobar may
refer to this. He announced that he would rescue the captives and spoil
taken by Medb, unless the heavens fell, and the earth burst open, and
the sea engulphed all things.[787] Such a myth mingled with Christian
beliefs may underlie the prophecy of Badb after Mag-tured regarding the
evils to come and the end of the world, and that of Fercertne in the
_Colloquy of the Two Sages_.[788] Both have a curious resemblance to the
Sybil's prophecy of doom in the Voluspa. If the gods themselves were
involved in such a catastrophe, it would not be surprising, since in
some aspects their immortality depended on their eating and drinking
immortal food and drink.[789]

FOOTNOTES:

[766] Avienus, _Ora Maritima_, 644 f.

[767] _IT_ i. 25